Wednesday, May 28, 2014

I've been on kind of a short story kick for a while. I avoided them for some time, but most of the time I like being able to devour these shorts in such a, well, short time. Here are the ones I've read recently (and I'm being pretty loose in my use of the word recently, as some of these are from last year...). Also, is anyone else so stingy that the thought of paying $3.00 or really anything for short stories is painful? Let's just say, I prefer the free ones. And those that aren't? Thank you, library, for having them available.

Double Crossed by Ally Carter
Absolutely loved this. I adore Ally Carter's series and seeing the two collide was so fun. This was the perfect kind of story, too. A short story should pretty much have an arc all its own and this one was wonderful. It was perfect for devouring in one sitting and feeling satisfied. Can't wait for more from this author!

Among the Nameless Stars by Diana PeterfreundI enjoyed this short as well, though I think it left me a bit confused. I liked seeing where Kai was when he left, but it didn't feel quite like a full story. There was a lot of new stuff and not a lot of page time to explain it. Still, I loved the book it went with enough to love this as well.

The New World by Patrick NessIt has been ages since I finished the Chaos Walking trilogy, but this one has been sitting in my reader and I wanted to give it a try. I felt like I was able to fall right back into Ness' world without any kind of refresher. I loved seeing how Violet got there and what it must have been like. Makes me want to do a reread.

The Spring Before I Met You AND The Summer Before I Met You by Sarah Rees Brennan
I'm lumping these two together, since they are from the same series. I liked them a lot, mostly because of Brennan's fabulous writing, though I also thought the idea of seeing our two main characters from the POV of an outsider was interesting. Fun stories, though not necessarily in the content (both were a bit heavy).

Neverfall by Brodi Ashton
I thought this was rather an essential story to read for the whole trilogy to make sense. I read it right before the last book and I think it made Cole a lot easier to understand. His motivations and a bit of his history. A nice addition to the series.

Life Before Legend by Marie Lu
I think I would have liked this more if I'd read it closer to when I read the second book. Or maybe even the first. I have to admit I had forgotten a lot of the story. Even now, trying to remember the last book in the series, I'm drawing a blank. I know I liked it, but I seem to have forgotten why...

Roar and Liv AND Brooke by Veronica Rossi
These two were both wonderful looks at some of my favorite side characters (well, Brooke wasn't a favorite, but her story was still interesting). I loved seeing more of Roar and Liv and what it must have been like for Roar to lose her. They were both rather painful reads and I think they make sense when both of them are read close together. We see a lot about Brooke and possibly some motivation for her actions. Loved them!

UnStrung by Neal Shusterman
This one was definitely important for me to read before I got to the third book. I think it makes that one seem less like it's out of the blue. I'm still not sure how I feel about short stories that are kind of required to enjoy the series. Still, this one was a full story and it was beautiful and heart-breaking. Definitely vital for more understanding of UnSouled.

Isolation by Dan Wells
This was an interesting short story about Heron and I found it both intriguing and a little bit hard to follow. It jumps back and forth in time and I didn't like that sometimes. But I thought the story definitely made Heron make a LOT more sense in learning more about her history. Good to read before Ruins.

Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson
First, I felt this was just the right length for a short story. Most of these have been, though some felt a little too short :) I loved seeing more of our "heroes" and just what it must have been like in the aftermath of the first book. I don't know if it's essential for the next one, but I sure liked getting more story in the meantime.

Any favorite short stories you have found? What's your favorite kind of short story?

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6 comments
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I read Neverfall too and I loved it. I read it right when it came out which was just before Everbound came out. It was great to get his motivation and history. And, I think that's why his "change" in Evertrue didn't bother me as much.

I like these short prequels and sequels, too, although I don't usually buy them ($3 seems like a lot to me as well). It's nice to just jump into a story and jump back out again, especially when they involve my favorite series characters!